Costumed capers at a themed historical pageant on Kew Green.

Like today's local TV news, newsreels like Topical Budget were drawn to upbeat and amusing 'feel-good' events to provide welcome light relief from the more serious news stories. This lively occasion on the Green at Kew, presided over by the local vicar, is a charming example. The highlight of the costume parade is surely the very small child apparently dressed as Humpty-Dumpty.

A quaint sense of nostalgia and tradition is conjured by the loosely historical costumes on display: a reassuring sight perhaps for a country on the brink of war, and worrying at the threat to 'merry old England'.